She is known for being outspoken and sticking to her guns, but TV presenter Denise Van Outen has revealed that she is haunted by guilt – for opting for an elective C-section.
Denise gave birth to daughter Betsy back in May 2010, with her then-husband Lee Meade.
When the topic of birthing plans was raised today, during an interview on Loose Women, the 43-year-old admitted that she carries regret over her own.
“When I got pregnant, I was so stressed. I hold my hands up. I went for an elective caesarean. My mum almost died giving birth, and my sister had a terrible birth,” she told the ITV show’s panel.
“My best friend had also just had a traumatic birth, when the cord wound around her baby’s neck. There’s this whole stigma thing about ‘too posh to push’. But I was so traumatised, I wasn’t sleeping properly.”
Despite her strong feelings about her choice of birth, Denise admitted that she is still thinking about the ‘judgement’.
“You do still, to this day, feel like people are judging you. Even now, if I were to fall pregnant again, I would want to have a natural birth because I still feel guilty,” she added.
Denise has always spoken candidly about her experience of motherhood, previously admitting that she had hoped to have children at a much younger age.
The former Big Breakfast star said that she feared she would never have a family, after ‘years of heartache’.
“I longed for it. It wasn’t through choice that I became a mum at 36. I wanted to be a young mum, but things never worked out for me,” she explained.
“Of course, my friends all knew I wanted a baby. I used to get really upset and say, ‘I wish it was my turn.’ Now, I have other friends going through the same thing. They come over to us and see Betsy, and tell me how lucky I am.”
We love Denise’s honesty, and she raises a really important issue – mummy-shaming comes in many different forms, and everyone’s personal choices should be respected.
